'Earthquake...earthquake', Jember Residents Run Panicly From Home When A 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Occurs

A number of visitors and guests of the Aston Jember Hotel scattered out to a safe gathering point during Malang earthquake, Saturday (9/4/2021) (ANTARA/Zumrotun Solichah)

JAKARTA - Some residents in several sub-districts in Jember Regency, East Java scattered out of their homes and rooms when an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 occurred on Monday at 12.46 western Indonesia time.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 shook the south of East Java and Bali with the epicenter of the earthquake located at coordinates 9.69 degrees South Latitude; 113.57 degrees east longitude, or to be precise, located at sea at a distance of 167 km south of Jember City at a depth of 73 km which occurred on Monday at 12.46.59 western Indonesia time.

"When I lay on the sofa suddenly it seemed to move, so I spontaneously went out of the house shouting the earthquakes," said Nurhayati, a resident in Kelurahan/Sub-district Sumbersari, Jember Regency, Monday, December 13, as reported by Antara.

Her neighbor, who felt a strong earthquake that lasted a few seconds, immediately left the house holding his baby child.

"There are some neighbors who feel the tremors of the earthquake, but there are also those who do not feel the earthquake, so they are still active in their homes," she said.

Not only that, but the earthquake shock also temporarily stopped trial activities at the Jember District Court (PN) because the judges, clerks, and prosecutors who were in the courtroom scattered out of the room.

"When the earthquake occurred, several trials were taking place at the Jember District Court, so the trial was stopped for a few minutes because those in the room ran out of the room to save themselves," said Jember District Court spokesman Sigit Triatmojo.

After the situation was safe and the earthquake shocks were no longer felt, he continued, the panel of judges, prosecutors, and clerks returned to the courtroom to continue the trial.

"The trial continues after the situation is safe, so the earthquake does not delay or disrupt the trial at the Jember District Court," he said.

Meanwhile, as quoted in a BMKG press statement received in Jember, Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Earthquake and Tsunami Center (BMKG) Bambang Setiyo Prayitno said the results of the BMKG analysis showed the earthquake had updated parameters with a magnitude of 5.1.

"With the earthquake's epicenter located at coordinates 9.69 degrees South Latitude; 113.57 degrees East Longitude, or precisely located at sea at a distance of 167 km south of Jember City, East Java at a depth of 73 km," he said.

Taking into account the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocenter, he continued, the earthquake that occurred was an intermediate type of earthquake due to plate subduction activity.

"The results of the analysis of the source mechanism show that the earthquake has a horizontal movement mechanism and the modeling results show that the earthquake has no tsunami potential," he said.

As of Monday at 13.20 western Indonesia time, the results of BMKG monitoring have not shown any aftershock activity, so the public is advised to remain calm and not be affected by issues that cannot be justified.